It's been years since 12-year-old Aramar Thorne, a clever boy who is never without his precious sketchbook, has seen his father. So when Captain Greydon Thorne comes ashore and asks his son to join him at sea, it feels as if someone has redrawn Aram's entire world. At sea, Aram struggles to get along with the Wavestrider's crew—especially second mate Makasa, a tough teenaged girl who has been reluctantly placed in charge of him. Just as Aram starts to get his head above water, a band of vicious pirates attacks the Wavestrider, turning his world upside down once again.